Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Apr 8th 2009, 5:01 pm
#16
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 68,280
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
I am sticking to my 19.17 feet above sea level
thats high enough before I start getting dizzy
thats high enough before I start getting dizzy
Apr 8th 2009, 5:11 pm
#17
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 3,338
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Been skiing in Colorado a couple of times (Breckenridge and Winter park). Each time, first day or so, I've had the out of breath/light headed feeling - but seem to acclimatize pretty quickly after that.
When I've been to Colorado on business trips at lower altitudes (Colorado Springs), never had a problem at all.
When I've been to Colorado on business trips at lower altitudes (Colorado Springs), never had a problem at all.
Apr 8th 2009, 5:20 pm
#18
Boomshacalaca!!
Joined: Dec 2005
Location: South of the North Pole.......Colorado
Posts: 5,066
May 24th 2009, 9:21 pm
#20
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Now - as readers you may remember that just a month or two back I was discussing the possible health problems relating to altitude on my forthcoming vacation to Colorado and the Rockies. Nevertheless I have heeded your advice, which was apparently to get utterly hammered on my arrival and stay that way for the duration and thus, since then, my attention has turned toward the subject of accommodation.
You can imagine, therefore, how perturbed I was to happen upon the following review on a well-know travel site relating to the romantic hideaway that Mrs tonrob and I have booked in the mountain oasis of Breckenridge:
You can imagine, therefore, how perturbed I was to happen upon the following review on a well-know travel site relating to the romantic hideaway that Mrs tonrob and I have booked in the mountain oasis of Breckenridge:
Okay - let me begin by saying that we normally stay at Marriott resorts in Florida, mainly, the Ft. Lauderdale resort and the Sand Key resort. Compared to those, the Breckenridge Mountain Valley Lodge was severely lacking. We decided to stay there on our honeymoon based on the wonderful experiences we have had at the other Marriotts. We made an online reservation for a suite WITH A KING BED. The Marriott website listed this as a choice, however, upon arrival at the hotel, we were told that none of their rooms have king beds, they only offer queen beds. In addition, there are no restaurants in the hotel - so, there is no room service, etc. We arrived at 2:00 a.m. after a long drive from the Denver airport. Obviously, we were upset upon finding out we were only getting a queen bed, but we dealt with it. The front desk clerk assured us we would love our stay and she gave us a room with a "beautiful lake view." Well, duh, the lake was frozen, so whatever, it's a frozen lake, which would have been fine, except for the 50 foot tall penis that some kids had drawn in the snow (just what you want to see at 2:00 a.m. on your HONEYMOON). We immediately called down to the front desk to advise them of this and they said they would take care of it first thing in the morning. We were there for 7 days and the penis remained in the snow the entire time. The room itself was lacking - the floor was wet, they did not provide us with new towels every day, we constantly had to request the bare necessities that we needed. After a long seven days, we were getting ready to check out. Our transportation was to arrive at check out. For the entire hour prior to check out, housekeeping and the front desk called our room, no less than 6 times, asking us when we were leaving because they had other guests checking in and they wanted to clean our room beforehand. Each time, we told them the same story, i.e., "We will be leaving at check-out, in about an hour." It was never good enough. I would never stay here again. If you are on a budget and you know what you are getting, that is one story. However, if you are used to Marriott resorts, this will be a severe disappointment. Save your money and stay elsewhere.
May 24th 2009, 9:33 pm
#21
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 367
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Cheers for the advice! Just finished booking hotels, rental car and now looking at flights. Prior to departure I will be scouring beeradvocate.com and sticking little pins in my map of beery goodness. What I do know is that there are more great brews out there than I can shake a fair-sized stick at so my biggest problem's going to be prioritization (especially if I'm going to be falling off my stool after two sniffs of the barmaid's apron...
)
)
May 24th 2009, 9:41 pm
#22
Powder Maggot
Joined: Nov 2004
Location: Nuevo Mexico
Posts: 4,452
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
If I was the manager, I'd have added a 'Penis Art Fee' to the checkout tab. 
May 25th 2009, 3:41 pm
#23
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Boreas Pass is due to open this week. A month early compared to last year.
May 25th 2009, 4:11 pm
#24
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
May 25th 2009, 4:18 pm
#25
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
May 25th 2009, 6:12 pm
#26
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 140
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
Just booked to go to Colorado on hols mid-June for just over a week and really looking forward to it. Highlights for me will be:
- hiking in the great outdoors (moderate hikes, no mountain climbing!)
- photography (including poss. wildlife)
- great beer bars and craft brews
Basically doing a loop that goes Denver - Breckenridge/Vail - Rocky Mountain NP - Boulder.
Bit worried about altitude sickness. Never suffered from this until a trip 2 years ago. Basically drove from Eureka, CA (sea level) to Lassen Volcanic NP (5000+ ft) in a few short hours then got out of the car and did a short (couple of miles) hike. Got quite out of breath and uncomfortable. Spent the night at a B&B in Chester (4500 ft), intending to go back into the park the next day. All night I felt like I couldn't catch my breath and slept very badly. Ended up cutting that part of the trip short and driving the next day to San Francisco, where normal service was resumed.
Does anyone else have any experience of this and any tips which will make by CO trip more comfortable (assuming by CA experience isn't a one-off). I read online about some herbal-type pills that could help but I'm always sceptical about that sort of thing. The biggest horror was reading that it's best to lay off the alcohol - no chance of that!
- hiking in the great outdoors (moderate hikes, no mountain climbing!)
- photography (including poss. wildlife)
- great beer bars and craft brews
Basically doing a loop that goes Denver - Breckenridge/Vail - Rocky Mountain NP - Boulder.
Bit worried about altitude sickness. Never suffered from this until a trip 2 years ago. Basically drove from Eureka, CA (sea level) to Lassen Volcanic NP (5000+ ft) in a few short hours then got out of the car and did a short (couple of miles) hike. Got quite out of breath and uncomfortable. Spent the night at a B&B in Chester (4500 ft), intending to go back into the park the next day. All night I felt like I couldn't catch my breath and slept very badly. Ended up cutting that part of the trip short and driving the next day to San Francisco, where normal service was resumed.
Does anyone else have any experience of this and any tips which will make by CO trip more comfortable (assuming by CA experience isn't a one-off). I read online about some herbal-type pills that could help but I'm always sceptical about that sort of thing. The biggest horror was reading that it's best to lay off the alcohol - no chance of that!
All the Aussies on our trip were taking half a tablet of Diamox a day to reduce/eliminate altitude sickness and swore by it.
It does make you pee like a horse, so as other people have mentioned, drinking huge amounts of water is a must.
From http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm
Acetazolamide (Diamox): This is the most tried and tested drug for altitude sickness prevention and treatment. Unlike dexamethasone this drug does not mask the symptoms but actually treats the problem. It seems to works by increasing the amount of alkali (bicarbonate) excreted in the urine, making the blood more acidic. Acidifying the blood drives the ventilation, which is the cornerstone of acclimatisation.
For prevention, 125 to 250mg twice daily starting one or two days before and continuing for three days once the highest altitude is reached, is effective. Blood concentrations of acetazolamide peak between one to four hours after administration of the tablets.
Studies have shown that prophylactic administration of acetazolamide at a dose of 250mg every eight to twelve hours before and during rapid ascent to altitude results in fewer and/or less severe symptoms (such as headache, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, drowsiness, and fatigue) of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Pulmonary function is greater both in subjects with mild AMS and asymptomatic subjects. The treated climbers also had less difficulty in sleeping.
Gradual ascent is always desirable to try to avoid acute mountain sickness but if rapid ascent is undertaken and actazolamide is used, it should be noted that such use does not obviate the need for a prompt descent if severe forms of high altitude sickness occur, i.e. pulmonary or cerebral oedema.
Side effects of acetazolamide include: an uncomfortable tingling of the fingers, toes and face carbonated drinks tasting flat; excessive urination; and rarely, blurring of vision.
On most treks, gradual ascent is possible and prophylaxis tends to be discouraged. Certainly if trekkers do develop headache and nausea or the other symptoms of AMS, then treatment with acetazolamide is fine. The treatment dosage is 250 mg twice a day for about three days.
May 25th 2009, 8:04 pm
#27
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Altitude sickness in Colorado?
I got mild altitude sickness at 17,000+ feet in Nepal. This was despite several stops to acclimatise at lower altitudes on the way to this height. I was dosed with Diamox, slept for 12 hours and was fine the next morning, when we climbed another 1000 feet to our highest point.
All the Aussies on our trip were taking half a tablet of Diamox a day to reduce/eliminate altitude sickness and swore by it.
It does make you pee like a horse, so as other people have mentioned, drinking huge amounts of water is a must.
From http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm
Acetazolamide (Diamox): This is the most tried and tested drug for altitude sickness prevention and treatment. Unlike dexamethasone this drug does not mask the symptoms but actually treats the problem. It seems to works by increasing the amount of alkali (bicarbonate) excreted in the urine, making the blood more acidic. Acidifying the blood drives the ventilation, which is the cornerstone of acclimatisation.
For prevention, 125 to 250mg twice daily starting one or two days before and continuing for three days once the highest altitude is reached, is effective. Blood concentrations of acetazolamide peak between one to four hours after administration of the tablets.
Studies have shown that prophylactic administration of acetazolamide at a dose of 250mg every eight to twelve hours before and during rapid ascent to altitude results in fewer and/or less severe symptoms (such as headache, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, drowsiness, and fatigue) of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Pulmonary function is greater both in subjects with mild AMS and asymptomatic subjects. The treated climbers also had less difficulty in sleeping.
Gradual ascent is always desirable to try to avoid acute mountain sickness but if rapid ascent is undertaken and actazolamide is used, it should be noted that such use does not obviate the need for a prompt descent if severe forms of high altitude sickness occur, i.e. pulmonary or cerebral oedema.
Side effects of acetazolamide include: an uncomfortable tingling of the fingers, toes and face carbonated drinks tasting flat; excessive urination; and rarely, blurring of vision.
On most treks, gradual ascent is possible and prophylaxis tends to be discouraged. Certainly if trekkers do develop headache and nausea or the other symptoms of AMS, then treatment with acetazolamide is fine. The treatment dosage is 250 mg twice a day for about three days.
All the Aussies on our trip were taking half a tablet of Diamox a day to reduce/eliminate altitude sickness and swore by it.
It does make you pee like a horse, so as other people have mentioned, drinking huge amounts of water is a must.
From http://www.traveldoctor.co.uk/altitude.htm
Acetazolamide (Diamox): This is the most tried and tested drug for altitude sickness prevention and treatment. Unlike dexamethasone this drug does not mask the symptoms but actually treats the problem. It seems to works by increasing the amount of alkali (bicarbonate) excreted in the urine, making the blood more acidic. Acidifying the blood drives the ventilation, which is the cornerstone of acclimatisation.
For prevention, 125 to 250mg twice daily starting one or two days before and continuing for three days once the highest altitude is reached, is effective. Blood concentrations of acetazolamide peak between one to four hours after administration of the tablets.
Studies have shown that prophylactic administration of acetazolamide at a dose of 250mg every eight to twelve hours before and during rapid ascent to altitude results in fewer and/or less severe symptoms (such as headache, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, drowsiness, and fatigue) of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Pulmonary function is greater both in subjects with mild AMS and asymptomatic subjects. The treated climbers also had less difficulty in sleeping.
Gradual ascent is always desirable to try to avoid acute mountain sickness but if rapid ascent is undertaken and actazolamide is used, it should be noted that such use does not obviate the need for a prompt descent if severe forms of high altitude sickness occur, i.e. pulmonary or cerebral oedema.
Side effects of acetazolamide include: an uncomfortable tingling of the fingers, toes and face carbonated drinks tasting flat; excessive urination; and rarely, blurring of vision.
On most treks, gradual ascent is possible and prophylaxis tends to be discouraged. Certainly if trekkers do develop headache and nausea or the other symptoms of AMS, then treatment with acetazolamide is fine. The treatment dosage is 250 mg twice a day for about three days.
